The final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) between India and New Zealand will be hosted by the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton. The development was confirmed by the ICC on Wednesday.
The summit clash will be staged in a bio-secure bubble, minimising the risk of Covid-19. While New Zealand were the first to make the ICC World Test Championship final, India joined them by crushing England 3-1 in the four-Test series in Ahmedabad.
India roared to the final after defeating England 3-1 at home turf, finishing atop with 72.2 percentage points. The final was previously slated to be held at the Lord's. The final was previously slated to be held at the Lord's.
“The ICC World Test Championship final is the pinnacle event in the Test calendar and is intended to be a week-long celebration of the oldest form of the game. A format that is rooted in tradition and features the best that the game has to offer.
"I would also like to congratulate both India and New Zealand for becoming part of history by reaching the first final," said Geoff Allardice, ICC General Manager in the issued statement.
“We are confident that in selecting the Hampshire Bowl, we have given ourselves the best possible chance to successfully deliver the final whilst keeping everyone involved safe and healthy and giving fans the opportunity to watch the two best Test teams in the world go head-to-head for the right to call themselves the ICC World Test Champions.
“I would like to thank the ECB for their guidance and advice to enable us to make this decision, which gives us the best possible opportunity to deliver a safe and successful World Test Championship Final.
